What is a growth mindset? According to Tom Hopkinson in his famous book, Think and Grow Rich: Why Every Successful Man Can Learn It, “A mindset is essentially a set of thoughts, assumptions, or attitudes held by one or some individuals or groups.” A mindset is also described as stemming from an individual’s view of the world around them, their values, principles, or outlook on life. This can be compared to a lens through which an individual views his world. If this lens is distorted, challenges will arise.
A Growth mindset recognizes that hard work is rewarded. Hard work is not something that must be done to possess happiness. In fact, it is imperative that every individual work hard in order to achieve anything. However, having this mindset also allows individuals to ignore the usual pressures that they face, and instead focuses on the challenges that lie ahead. Individuals who possess a growth mindset are able to exert effort without concern for whether they will receive any rewards or if they will actually reach their goals.
Another trait associated with growth mindset is the ability to accept setbacks gracefully. In today’s corporate world, there are many individuals who expect to encounter failures. They expect to experience failures at the hands of other people when trying to accomplish their goals. Those who do not have fixed mindsets fail to recognize the importance of setbacks, and thus cannot accept failure as a part of the game. Instead, they perceive any setback as an opportunity to learn and grow.
One method psychologists use to test the growth mindset concept is to have individuals answer questions about what motivates them. For instance, one group may be asked to describe their favorite attribute or quality when it comes to achieving a goal. Another group might be asked to answer questions relating to their level of passion, support, and encouragement.
A third group may be asked to rate their level of intelligence. The results of this type of test can provide a vivid illustration of the difference between individuals who possess growth mindset and those who do not. Individuals who possess a fixed mindset believe that intelligence can be measured in a particular way, whereas those who do not possess a fixed mindset believe that their level of intelligence is something that can be measured without having to look at their personality. While the latter group might achieve some goals in the future, they do not expect their intelligence level to be high. Similarly, those individuals who do possess a growth mindset believe that their level of intelligence has no bearing on their success, and so they believe that the challenges they face are irrelevant to their abilities.
In order to understand the connection between personality and intelligence, it is important to understand how personality influences levels of intelligence. According to researchers, those who are motivated to obtain a particular level of knowledge are the ones who possess a growth mindset. On the other hand, those who possess a fixed mindset do not have the ability to think rationally or to invest in learning opportunities. Those who are in the growth mindset believe that if they invest in education and knowledge creation, they will increase their capabilities, which they do by utilizing their intelligence in the future.
In addition to possessing growth mindset, individuals who do not possess it also need to work hard in order to increase their capabilities. Those who possess a fixed mindset believe that hard work does not contribute to one’s level of capabilities, and so they do not feel that they need to put in any special effort in order to increase their potentials. However, those individuals who possess growth mindset believe that hard work and intelligence are interrelated, and so they set aside time on a regular basis in order to increase their potentials.
Possessing a growth mindset also ensures that one is open to learning. Those individuals who do not possess growth mindset do not see the need to learn new skills because they already know everything. On the other hand, growth-minded individuals know that it is important to learn new things because it helps them to develop their talents, provide solutions to problems, and increase their level of competence. In addition to this, growth-mindset individuals know that it is important to work with others. They realize that by collaborating with others, they will be able to achieve their goals much faster and easier.